DIY Craft Project: Sharpie Mug Tutorial

Have you seen all the gorgeous DIY mugs floating around the internet? There are mugs with beautiful artistic designs, inspiring quote, and silly jokes. I love the custom look and have been itching to write an easy Sharpie Mug Tutorial.

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No Artistic Skills Required

I am crafty but, unfortunately, not artistic! Seriously. I'm even bad at drawing the little guy in hangman.

Drawing a freehand pattern would result in one ugly mug if I was the artist! This SUPER EASY Sharpie Mug tutorial creates a heart handle mug with a simple stencil.

Supplies

The Perfect Mug – A mug with curved handle that resembles half of a heart. My favorite (pictured in this tutorial) is the Luminous Mug from Pier One Imports, it costs $4.00 and has a lovely handle shape.

Sharpie Mug Tutorial: Red Heart Mug

Remove all labels then wash and dry each mug. Wipe the surface to be painted with rubbing alcohol or vodka to remove any fingerprints or oils. Allow to air dry.

2. Make a heart stencil to match the mug handle.

Trace the handle of your mug onto paper. This forms one side of the heart.

Fold the paper in half along the edge of your tracing. Cut out the tracing. The paper heart should be the size of the mug handle.

Trace the heart onto the back of a piece of contact paper. Any color but white will work.

Fold the contact paper heart in half to stick it to the mug. Place the center folded line of the heart along the edge of the handle and then adhere the rest of the heart to the mug as shown. Re-position if necessary.

3. Paint the mug.

Use a red oil based Sharpie paint pen to make a dotted line around the edge of the heart on the mug. Push straight down with the marker to make the dots round. Do not mark on the contact paper.

Allow the paint to dry for at 10 minutes then carefully remove the heart-shaped contact paper (save it for the next mug). Add dots to the handle of the mug.

To add more hearts to the mug stick on the contact paper heart and dot around it. Try decorating both sides of the handle with hearts.

Add a heart to the opposite side of the mug by reattached the contact paper and adding dots.

Sharpie Mug Tutorial: Gold Heart Mug

Remove all labels then wash and dry each mug. Wipe the surface to be painted with rubbing alcohol or vodka to remove any fingerprints or oils. Allow to air dry.

2. Make a heart stencil to match the mug handle.

Make and position the stencil following step 2 of the red heart mug tutorial.

3. Paint the mug.

Use a gold oil based Sharpie paint pen to make random dots around the edge of the heart that is on the mug. Make the dots denser at the edge of the heart and farther apart the farther you go from the stencil.

Allow the paint to dry for at least 10 minutes then carefully add dots to the handle of the mug. The pattern should be dense on the side of the handle closest to the heart and farther apart the further you go out.

Add a heart to the opposite side of the mug by re-positioning the contact paper heart and dotting around it again.

When the hearts are finished use the pen to randomly place dots in any empty spaces and around the bottom of the mug. The dots at the bottom of mug are dense and farther apart as they move toward the rim.

4. Scroll down for baking instructions to make the paint permanent.

Sharpie Paint Pen Tips

Don’t worry about perfection when painting, mistakes can be removed using vodka or rubbing alcohol and a q-tip.

Sharpie paint pens ARE NOT labeled food safe. Use them on OUTER surfaces of mugs that DO NOT come into contact with food or drinks.

Baking and Finishing Directions

5. Bake the mug.

Allow the mug to dry for at least 20 minutes then place in a cold oven. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and allow the mug to “cook” for 20 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the mug to cool completely

Repeat the baking process to fully “cure” the paint.

6. Seal the mug. (This step is optional.)

Allow the mug to cool completely. Tape off a 1/2 inch band around the top edge with painters tape, turn the mug upside down, and then spray with a light coat of sealer such as Krylon Crystal Clear. Be careful, the sealer will make the Sharpie run if applied too thickly. Modge Podge Clear Acrylic Sealer is an acrylic safe sealer you can also try.

Please be aware: I mask the top edge of the mug with painters tape then turn it upside down before spraying with sealer. This protects the rim of the mug and prevents your mouth from coming into contact with areas that have been painted or sprayed with sealer.

Sharpie paint pens ARE NOT labeled food safe. Use them on OUTER surfaces of mugs that DO NOT come into contact with food or drinks. (This is true of all Sharpie tutorials and crafts, not just this one!)

Shannon, I have seen a few tutorials using regular sharpies however I have also heard that these tend to wash away after a few uses. The oil based sharpies tend to be more durable and stand up to washing better. Hope this helps! -Bren

When does the twenty minute period start? I’m doing it and I was wondering if the twenty minutes includes the time it takes for the oven to preheat? Or does the twenty minutes start after the oven has finished preheating?

I used the sealer in a attempt to make the mugs last longer. As I mention in the post you have to spray a very fine mist or it will run. The Sharpie should still last through hand washing with or without the sealer. However, since it is not a baked on glaze it will eventually start to fade. I hand wash mine with no problem.

Thanks for the questions, Mellany. As I mention in the post, Sharpie paint pens ARE NOT labeled food safe. Use them on OUTER surfaces of mugs that DO NOT come into contact with food or drinks. The sealer I used was Krylon Crystal Clear. No, you cannot write on the inside, spray it and have it be food/drink safe. The only way to make the inside food safe is to go to a pottery store and have the design baked on with glaze.

Bren! These are so cute and fun!!! You won me over with them! But I gotta tell you, I bought everything needed, markers and the same mugs you used, but I’m afraid to try it! Haha!!! I’m scared I’m going to mess it up! Isn’t that silly?! I just re-read the whole tutorial and noticed you mentioned it’s easy to clean any mistake with alcohol or vodka with a q-tip, so now I’m a little more relaxed about it, but still a bit nervous. I’m taking a shot at it with one of the mugs this weekend (I bought 4). So if anything, it’s just one of them and not all 4! lol Wish me luck! I’ll let you know how it turns out! Thanks for the inspiration.

I appreciated your tips because I have tried a few different baking methods to get my Sharpie paint pens to last through hand-washing but nothing is working 😕 My first mugs I baked at 450 F for 30 mins. When the mugs cooled some of the paint had turned brown and after one or two hand washing’s it was fading away completely. The second try I baked at 250 F for two hours. After cooling the paint looked great! But I have only washed one time and I can already see fading again…ugh! So frustrating. I am eager to try your “twice baked” method. Also, I think the Krylon sealer may do the trick. Where do you purchase the sealer? How long does it take to dry? Should the sealer be baked as well? Any other tips? Thanks in advance! 🙏🏼

Lilah, you can get the sealer at a craft store or home improvement store. I think I bought mine at Michael’s. It dries pretty quickly but I would let it sit at least 24 hours before washing. I did not bake the sealer.

Thanks so much for your clear and complete instructions. I’ve been looking through many websites for this DIY information. None of the others mention double curing, sealer or that the Sharpies are not food safe. Now I feel confident to get on with my Zentangle designs on mugs.